Champion of better capitalism
Ownership matters. Too often we forget that. Ownership involves responsibilities as well as rights. To be a shareholder is to be a steward of a company. That’s hard for individual investors in a public company. It is essential for investment institutions. Tomorrows Company made that … Continue readingIn the age of AI, ownership matters even more
I am in Madrid to speak at the ICA (Spain’s Institute of Directors) international conference. As the only native Brit speaking I feel uncomfortable talking about good governance when my own country is making such a hash of its decision making. And there is … Continue readingWe need a stronger spirit of stewardship
I’ve just agreed to join the working party set up by government’s Financial Reporting Council to discuss corporate governance of private companies. The SoftBank story reminds me what a wide diversity of ‘private’ companies there are. After reading a recent article about Masayoshi Son … Continue readingAn improbable range of private companies
In 2014 I was invited to be a speaker at India’s National Competitiveness Forum in New Delhi. It was an opportunity for private sector leaders, renowned thinkers and civil society leaders to discuss solutions to the pressing and emerging issues the country faced at this time. The … Continue readingSpeaking at India’s National Competitiveness Forum
Text of a talk given by me in Madrid on 13th January, 2017 to an audience of chairs, CEOs, NEDs, investors and advisors hosted by IC-A (the Spanish Institute of Directors). In 1976 I went walking in the Spanish Pyrenees. As it happens, I … Continue readingThe Future of Capitalism and the Company of Tomorrow
This is a speech I gave at the Institute of Directors in London, 2007 Nine Propositions that constitute an inclusive approach Let me begin by making nine common-sense propositions which I believe, say most of what needs to be said about the relationship between … Continue readingNine Propositions that constitute an inclusive approach
This letter appeared in The Financial Times on February 10th, 2001 When Oscar Wilde described a cynic as a man who knew the price of everything and the value of nothing, he was using the word “value” in its proper sense. The authors of … Continue readingA Wildean view of M&S shareholder value
The 20th European Corporate Governance Conference took place in Malta on 4 May 2017 and I was the opening speaker. These were the key findings from the relevant parts of the conference: Innovation and Digitalization in Company Law: Risks for Corporate Governance? … Continue readingInnovation and Digitalization in Company Law: Risks for Corporate Governance?
This was originally published in 2002 but includes a new introduction which was written in 2008. Tomorrow’s Company In 1993 the UK’s Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) initiated an ‘Inquiry into the role of business in a … Continue readingLessons from Enron
“Ignorance is underrated. People like me ask difficult questions by accident. That’s the best thing you can find on your board.” These were the words of entrepreneur Josh Valman, Founder and CEO of RPD, who was designing robots at the age of 10, and … Continue readingA fresh perspective for the board